The Team (continued)
scopic surgery to “clean out” the shoulder, he should be ready for opening day, but unless Casey Janssen gives way, Santos returns this year as the eighth-inning setup man. When he’s healthy, Santos can hit 98 m.p.h. on the radar gun while mixing in a devastating swing-and-miss slider. If he and Janssen can both stay healthy it could be a lethal 1-2 punch at the back end of the ’pen. But those are big ifs. Darren Oliver, LHP Age: 42
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo. The wily southpaw, nicknamed “Black Magic,” decided to forego retirement to take one more kick at the can with the Jays. This will be his 20th season in the big leagues, and like a fine wine he has simply gotten better with age, posting progressively lower ERAs over the last six seasons. Oliver was brought in last season to be a lefty specialist but ended up as one of the Jays’ best overall relievers, posting a career-best 2.06 ERA. And as it turned out, he was actually tougher on righties. Last year was the first time the veteran missed the playoffs since 2005. He’s still looking for a World Series ring. Steve Delabar, RHP Hometown: Fort Knox, Ky.
Age: 29 The former high-school teacher, who revived his life in baseball with an unconventional throwing program after what doctors thought was a career-ending elbow injury, is expected to play an important late-inning role for the Jays this season. Acquired from the Seattle Mariners for Eric Thames at last year’s trade deadline, Delabar helped solidify the Jays’ bullpen midway through last season with a power arm (his fastball can touch 97 m.p.h.) and a punchout splitter. His extremely high strikeout rate — he struck out more than a third of the batters he faced last season — was tempered somewhat by a propensity to give up home runs. But his numbers in that regard improved in the second half of last season. Esmil Rogers, RHP Hometown: Santo Domingo, D.R. Age: 27 The hard-throwing Dominican is essentially what the Jays got for losing ex-manager John Farrell to the Boston Red Sox. Rogers was acquired by the Jays from Cleveland in exchange for Mike Aviles, Farrell’s original compensation from the Red Sox, as well as middling prospect Yan Gomes. Rogers is another one of the power arms Anthopoulos targeted in order to upgrade the team’s bullpen. He throws his fastball in the mid-to-high 90s (he touched 99 last season), but has battled his control at times. He figures to be used, like Delabar, as a late-inning live arm.
Aaron Loup, LHP Hometown: Raceland, La.
Age: 25 The young lefty with the three-quarter sidearm delivery was one of the few pleasant surprises for the Jays last season. Though he was not on the radar as one of the organization’s top prospects, Loup emerged as one of the few minorleague call-ups to stick with the club after making his debut in July. In fact, though he only joined the team midway through the season, he was voted the Jays’ 2012 Rookie of the Year by the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He is the front-runner to win the job as the Jays’ next-best lefty after Oliver, but he has minor-league options available so it’s possible that even if he outperforms fellow southpaw Brett Cecil, he may start the season in Triple-A Buffalo. If he doesn’t make the team out of camp, expect him to be among the first relievers to make the trip along the QEW. Brad Lincoln, RHP Hometown: Lake Jackson, Texas
Age: 27 Before spring training began, Anthopoulos suggested Lincoln would be stretched out into a starter — the role he served early in his career — and would join Triple-A Buffalo’s rotation as the Jays’ seventh starting option (behind Happ and the top five in the rotation). But as the spring went on, Anthopoulos and Gibbons changed their minds, deciding that Lincoln’s strength is in shorter stints, something his career stats also support. But even in the bullpen, there may not be room for Lincoln, who may start the season in Buffalo. Brett Cecil, LHP Hometown: Dunkirk, Md.
Age: 26 The bespectacled left-hander spent his first three-and-a-half big-league seasons as a starter for the Jays, winning 15 games in 2010. But he failed to make the team out of camp last season and spent nearly half the year in the minors, called back only after the Jays’ rotation was decimated by injury. By the end of the year he had converted to the bullpen, a role he served in the final month of the season to mixed results. Out of minor-league options, this is Cecil’s last chance to stick with the Jays and his best bet is as the team’s long reliever, if Gibbons and Co. choose to keep Happ in Triple-A. He has lost velocity on his fastball, but showed last year he could still be tough against lefties, holding them to a .214 batting average.
Jeremy Jeffress, RHP Hometown: South Boston, Va.
Age: 25 Acquired from the Kansas City Royals for cash this off-season, Jeffress is hoping a change of scenery will do him good this season. He is fighting to make the Jays’ bullpen in the long reliever role. Jeffress wore out the patience of his previous employers by failing three minor-league drug tests for marijuana, which is banned in the minors but not the majors. If Jeffress were to fail a fourth time he would be banned from all MLB-affiliated minor leagues. Jeffress’s main asset is his electric arm. He throws his fastball in the mid-to-high 90s, even hitting 100.4 m.p.h. on the radar gun in 2011. But he also has a tendency to be wild, walking almost a batter an inning in his brief big-league stint last season.
POSITION PLAYERS J.P. Arencibia, C Hometown: Miami
Age: 27 With highly-touted catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud dealt to New York in the R.A. Dickey trade, Arencibia is firmly part of the Jays’ present and future core. He had the second-worst on-base percentage among catchers with at least 350 plate appearances last season, but his 41 homers since 2011 rank fifth best for those in his position. So while he strikes out far too often he’s still got above-average pop for a backstop. He is determined to prove he can catch Dickey’s knuckleball, but Gibbons is leaning toward using either Henry Blanco or Josh Thole as his ace’s primary receiver. Henry Blanco, C Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
Age: 41 Nicknamed “Hank White,” Henry Blanco is the front-runner to be Dickey’s personal catcher this season. He caught the knuckleballer in 2010 while with the New York Mets and Dickey famously told Anthopoulos that Blanco could catch him “with chopsticks.” A career backup with little offensive upside, the veteran Blanco is known as a talented receiver and gamecaller. He also has a good arm, having thrown baserunners out at a career 43per-cent clip, well above the 30-per-cent league average.
Josh Thole, C Hometown: Breese, Ill. Age: 26 Thole was Dickey’s primary catcher last season in New York and came along to Toronto in the trade for the knuckleballer. When Anthopoulos acquired Dickey he wanted to be sure he came along with someone who could catch him. But then he went out and added Blanco, which may leave Thole on the outside. Thole has minor-league options and is likely pegged for Triple-A Buffalo. If he doesn’t make the big-league team out of camp he’ll be the knuckle-catching insurance — along with Vancouver-born Mike Nickeas — in case something happens to Blanco. All three have experience with Dickey.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B/DH Hometown: La Romana, D.R. Age: 30 Last season, Edwin Encarnacion emerged from Jose Bautista’s shadow, hitting 42 home runs, just two behind league-leader Miguel Cabrera, spurring Anthopoulos to sign the slugger to a three-year $27million contract extension. But his turnaround actually began midway through 2011 when he moved off of third base — where he had earned the unfortunate “E5” nickname due to his error-prone fielding — while also making his swing more compact. He was the Jays’ most consistent and best overall hitter last season, posting a .941 on-base-plusslugging percentage, good for third in the AL behind Cabrera and Mike Trout. He should have ample opportunity to repeat his 110-RBI effort hitting in the cleanup spot behind Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Bautista.
Adam Lind, DH/1B Hometown: Muncie, Ind. Age: 30 This is a make-or-break year for Adam Lind, the former Silver Slugger, who has struggled to regain his former glory. He’s in the final guaranteed year of his contract and fighting to keep his everyday job. Since 2010, Lind has hit only .186 off of lefties and if he doesn’t improve in that regard he will most likely be platooned (restricted to only facing right-handed pitching) with either Rajai Davis or the switch-hitting Emilio Bonifacio getting his at-bats against lefties. After struggling badly in the first six weeks of last season, Lind was demoted to the minors where he worked on his timing and approach with Chad Mottola, now the Jays’ big-league hitting coach. The time down worked, because upon his return to the big leagues he hit .296 the rest of the way, though he did miss most of August with his chronic back problems.
Maicer Izturis, INF Hometown: Barquisimeto, Venezuela Age: 32 Competing with Emilio Bonifacio to be the starting second baseman, Maicer Izturis has experience at every infield position except first, so if he loses the job he’ll serve as the primary backup infielder. He has mostly served in a backup role in his nine major-league seasons, though he appeared in 222 games over the last two seasons. This will be the third Canadian stop in his career, having previously played in Triple-A Edmonton and for the Montreal Expos. Izturis stole a careerhigh 17 bases last season.
Emilio Bonifacio, INF/OF Hometown: Santo Domingo, D.R. Age: 27 The speedy super-utility player is hoping to grab an everyday job as the Jays’ starting second baseman. But if that fails he should still get plenty of at-bats filling in all over the diamond. He missed most of last season due to injuries to his thumb and right knee, but still managed to steal 30 bases in just 64 games. Although he played mostly in centre field for the Marlins last season, Gibbons considers Rajai Davis the primary backup outfielder and plans to use Bonifacio in the infield. Bonifacio’s baserunning speed is his greatest weapon and Gibbons will find ways to get him into the lineup on a regular basis despite his questionable defence.
Jose Reyes, SS Hometown: Santiago, D.R. Age: 29 At Jose Reyes’ introductory press conference, Alex Anthopoulos couldn’t keep his man-crush to himself. “I haven’t told him this, but he’s probably my favourite player in the league to watch.” The young GM is hoping Jays fans develop a similar affection for the four-time all-star. Reyes, the 2011 NL batting champ, gives the Jays a bona fide leadoff hitter for the first time in a decade. He has a career .342 on-base percentage and has three times led the league in stolen bases. Reyes was healthy all of last season but he has a history of hamstring issues, which caused him to miss most of the 2009 season, and there are concerns about how his valuable legs will hold up against the Rogers Centre’s unforgiving artificial turf.
Brett Lawrie, 3B Hometown: Langley, B.C. Age: 23 In his second full season with the Jays, the Langley Flash will not be counted upon to play as pivotal an offensive role as he was in 2012. With Reyes and Cabrera pegged in the 1-2 spots, Lawrie will hit in the bottom half of the lineup where Gibbons and Co. are hoping he will regain the power stroke that was largely absent last season. He hit nine home runs in 150 at-bats in his late-2011 debut, but just 11 in 494 at-bats last year. Lawrie showed tremendous development in his defensive side of the game, though, and continued to thrill with his high-octane play, which he has shown no interest in toning down.
Melky Cabrera, LF Hometown: Bajos de Haina, D.R. Age: 28 After last season’s 50-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs, Cabrera will be under the microscope this year to see how he performs without the help of synthetic testosterone. Even if he plays as well as he did in 2011 — when he hit .305 and slugged .470, as opposed to his drug-tainted 2012 slash line of .346/ .390/.516 — he will provide a big boost to the top of the Jays’ order and should set the table well for Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Alex Anthopoulos was willing to take a two-year $16-million gamble betting that he will. Cabrera is a switch-hitter — one of four in the Jays’ lineup — and can play a competent centre field if need-be.
Colby Rasmus, CF Hometown: Phenix City, Ala. Age: 26 This is a pivotal year for Rasmus, who has yet to live up to the potential for which he has been projected. Last year was a tale of two seasons for the proud Alabaman. He hit .259 with 17 home runs in the first half, playing highlight-reel defence in centre field and looking every bit the five-tool player scouts predicted he would be. But in the season’s second half he was awful, hitting .176 with a .238 OBP. He struck out almost every third trip to the plate. As with Lind, Gibbons has floated the idea of platooning the left-handed Rasmus with Rajai Davis. With prospect Anthony Gose waiting in the wings, patience will be thin if Rasmus falters.
Jose Bautista, RF Hometown: Santo Domingo, D.R. Age: 32 Even with all the off-season acquisitions, Joey Bats remains the undisputed leader of the Jays’ clubhouse. Coming off season-ending wrist surgery, there are concerns he won’t be the same home-run threat of old, but all signs in spring training point to him being fully repaired. Even after missing almost half of last season, Bautista has still hit more home runs than any other player since 2010. He is the most important hitter in the Jays’ lineup and his importance to the club’s success cannot be overstated. When he was in the lineup last season, the Jays were 45-47. Without him they were 25-42. As he goes, so will the Jays.
Rajai Davis, OF Hometown: Norwich, Conn. Age: 32 Speed will be a big weapon for the Jays this season and Rajai Davis will be a key part of that attack, even if only off the bench. Barring injury, Davis will be the team’s primary replacement in the outfield — able to play all three positions — and depending on if Bonifacio joins him on the bench, could be Gibbons’ main pinchrunning option. Davis has 80 swipes in his two seasons in Toronto and could engage in a friendly competition with Reyes and Bonifacio for the team lead.
Mark DeRosa, INF/OF Hometown: Passaic, N.J. Age: 38 The Jays’ 25th man was signed by Alex Anthopoulos more for what he brings to the team off the field than what he does on it. The 15-year veteran is highly regarded around the league for his leadership and positive clubhouse presence. He has made it to the post-season in five of the last six seasons, though he was left off the post-season rosters of both the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants in 2010 and the 2012 Washington Nationals. He played six different positions for the Nationals last season.
Anthony Gose, OF Hometown: Paramount, Calif. Age: 23 Barring injury, Anthony Gose will not make the Jays out of spring training and will instead excite the crowds of CocaCola Field in Buffalo with his electric play. But the athletic centre-fielder is no doubt destined for the big leagues and should be the first player called up to replace an injured outfielder. Defensively and on the base paths, Gose is ready to be an impact player in the majors. But he needs to improve at the plate, particularly against left-handed pitching, and limit his strikeouts. He hit .223 with a .303 on-base percentage in 56 big-league games last season.